Counting Shots
by Above the Winter Moonlight
Summary: A collection of short stories, vignettes and drabbles. 6: He had to keep going; he had to escape the flames and warn them.
1. Haven

**Author's Note: **Well, this is a collection of short stories and drabbles set all throughout the _Danny Phantom_ series. All of them are AU, some more so than others and I find that this is the perfect opportunity to practice writing short stories, since I write long stories more than I write short stories. Plus I see it as a good way to help with writer's block. So this is liable to be updated randomly whenever I come up with an idea.

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Danny Phantom, I never have, I never will and I'm only saying this once so I will not repeat it in later chapters_

* * *

**Shots in the Dark**

* * *

**Haven**

_Main Characters: Danny, Vlad_

_Genre: angst/hurt/comfort_

* * *

Swirls of green dotted with doors of a wide range of colors. That's all I can see. There aren't any ghosts around, for which I'm grateful. The last thing I want is for my enemies to catch me, especially in the condition I'm in since it will make it so much easier for them to capture me; everyone will take advantage of it, I already know they will.

But I still risked coming in here because the alternative is not much better.

All I did was make a decision, one single decision and my life had taken a drastic turn for the worse. It's not quite as bad as my decision to cheat on the CAT was but it's still pretty bad. Not my decision, no. I've wanted to do this since I first became half-ghost. No, it isn't the decision; it's the results of my decision.

I made the decision to tell my parents the truth, to tell them that I'm half-ghost. My sister Jazz approved my decision wholeheartedly and even offered to come with me when I told them. My best friends, Sam and Tucker, wanted to come with me as well but I decided to talk to my parents by myself.

I should've let them come with me but, when I think about it, I realize that if Jazz couldn't convince my parents of the truth then what chance would Sam and Tucker have?

I told them the truth and even transformed in front of them to prove that it was true. I tried to convince them that I was still alive, that I was only half-dead; they didn't believe me. It hurt to know that they didn't believe me; that my own parents refused to see that I was still alive.

Jazz tried to explain to them that what I was telling them was the truth, that I really was their son, that the accident had merged ectoplasm with my DNA, at least that's Tucker's theory, but they still refused to believe it. They actually _shot_ at me; I'm lucky I'm quick and I was able to avoid the attacks.

They didn't stop though; they kept shooting at me forcing me to flee. I couldn't flee through the door because they were standing in my way and Mom had created a sort of portable activation switch that turned on the ghost shield around the house. The only way I could escape was through the portal and that's where I headed.

Jazz tried to distract my parents, keep them from following me but Mom managed to get past Jazz; she attacked me and stabbed me right in the side. The wound is, by far, the worst wound I've ever received; it's still bleeding by the way and is the main reason why I'm weakening as rapidly as I am.

Anyway, Mom would've succeeded in capturing me if Jazz hadn't put herself in between us. She told Mom to leave me alone and told me to get out of there. I didn't need to be told twice and I fled into the Ghost Zone.

Ever since then, I've been flying through the Ghost Zone trying to figure out where to go before I lost consciousness with one hand on the wound on my side as I attempt to stop the bleeding. Already, the doors and the natural green atmosphere were starting to blur together. I force myself to keep going trying to think of someplace to go, a haven, a place of protection that I never thought I would need.

I can try reaching Clockwork's but his tower is at the other end of the Ghost Zone and I know I don't have the strength to make it that far. I'm losing too much ectoplasm too fast; if I fall unconscious then I'll be in even more danger because I'll shift back to my human form and humans can't fly through the Ghost Zone without either the Specter Speeder or another ghost.

I can try for Dora's but if I try to head to Dora's kingdom then I will have to go past Walker's Prison and I know that Walker will take delight in catching me, especially since I'm in no condition to fight back. I will also have to go past Skulker's island and, like Walker, Skulker will love capturing me so Dora's is out of the question.

But where can I go?

I realize I'm losing altitude and I quickly look around trying to place where I am in the Ghost Zone hoping to find at least some sort of floating rock to land on and get my breath back. Unfortunately, I see nothing, except a giant floating purple football that hid Vlad's portal.

_Vlad_.

I struggle to keep my eyes open as I float in midair gazing at the football. I don't know what to do since I'm not even sure if Vlad'll help me or not. I doubt I'll be able to make it anywhere before I lose too much ectoplasm and revert back to human. And, since wounds in my ghost form do transfer to my human form, I know losing too much ectoplasm will not be good for my human half. My mind is telling me that if I remain where I am then I'll die fully and if I attempt to get someplace else then I'll either lose too much ectoplasm and die fully or I'll get captured by Walker or Skulker. I really have no choice if I want to live and I do want to live.

My parents may not have accepted me but my sister does and my best friends do. I still have them even if I don't have my parents, which still hurts as much as the knife Mom had used to stab me.

I think it's how my sister and my best friends will react if I died that makes my decision for me and I find myself flying over to the football. I'm so weak that I have to pause by the football before pushing it out of the way. A black wave is rising up in my eyes but I try to push away unconsciousness; it's not going so well.

I return my hand to my side as I fly through the portal. Imagine my surprise when I crash into someone entering the portal at the same time as me. Both of us are sent sprawling to the ground. I groan in pain clutching at my side before blinking up to see who I flew into. But, just as in the Ghost Zone, everything's blurring together and I can't make out anything, not even the person I flew into.

"Whelp?"

Oh great, well, this isn't good.

I struggle to get to my feet but my legs refuse to cooperate; actually, every part of my body is refusing to cooperate. I can feel the ectoplasm still falling from the wound in my side and that black wave is getting higher.

"Plasmius!" Skulker shouts.

I try to get up again but, again, I collapse and, this time, I just lay there. I'm too weak to move as it is; ectoplasm continues to fall rapidly from the wound and I'm really not that surprised when I shift back into my human form. Almost as soon as I shift into human form, red human blood begins to mix with the pool of ectoplasm I'm already lying in.

"Skulker, I thought you…Daniel!"

I just barely manage to lift my head to find Vlad, in his human form, kneeling down beside me shock glistening in his midnight-blue eyes. He shifts into his ghost form and duplicates before sending his duplicate off somewhere and shifting back to human form. "Daniel, can you hear me?" he whispers.

"V…Vlad," I manage to get out. "H…Help me." I never thought that I would ever utter those words to Vlad Masters; I guess life's funny that way.

"Shh, don't talk, little badger," Vlad says softly as his duplicate returns. He turns and accepts the medical supplies his duplicate hands him before reabsorbing the duplicate and turning his attention back to me.

"Skulker, you can go now," he says not taking his eyes off me as he lifts my shirt to see the wound. I hear him swear—he always seems to swear using sweets. I might have laughed if I wasn't in so much pain—but I don't feel what he does next. Actually, I don't feel anything; the blood loss is making me light-headed and things are starting to become dark.

"Daniel, stay with me," I hear Vlad whisper but he sounds so far away and yet that is the last thing I hear before there's nothing but silence.

* * *

I wake up to find myself lying on a comfortable bed and, for a minute, I'm confused until the memory of what happened returned to me. I can't help but shiver as I remember the look of utter loathing in my mom's eyes right before she stabbed me or the hatred and betrayal that blazed in my dad's eyes right before he shot at me. I feel tears appear in my eyes and I slowly brush them away before I try to sit up only to hiss in pain and clutch at my side.

Right, sitting up is not a good thing to do right now.

I rest my head on the pillow just as the door opens spilling light from the hallway into the room. A moment later, the lights in the room come on; I shield my eyes from the glare as they slowly adjust before I turn to find Vlad making his way to the side of the bed.

"Hello, little badger, how do you feel?" he asks as he comes to a stop.

I hesitate but decide to go with the truth since he did help me though I don't know how much time has passed. "Better than yesterday. How long was I asleep?" I ask.

"Only a few hours," Vlad says. "You lost quite a bit of blood. I had to ask my personal physician to come in to do a blood transfusion because you have a rare blood type. It's a good thing I have my own infirmary or else I would have had to take you to a hospital."

My eyes widen as I think about my secret since I know my blood is different from everyone else's.

"Relax, Daniel," Vlad says clearly seeing my panic. "My personal physician is the one who helped me when I was in the hospital with ecto-acne. She knows about my ghost half and she has already told me that she is sworn to maintain patient confidentiality. She will not tell anyone about you, Daniel."

I relax a little before frowning in confusion. "Wait, how were you able to do a blood transfusion?" I ask. My blood type is rarer than others because of the fact that it's AB negative and because it, like my DNA, is merged with ectoplasm.

"I'm O positive, Daniel, which is a universal donor and my blood is mixed with ectoplasm just as yours is," Vlad says.

I realize exactly what Vlad's telling me; _he_ is the one who gave me the blood I needed for the blood transfusion.

Vlad frowns. "Did you honestly think I was just going to let you die, little badger?" he asks.

"I…" I break off because I don't know what to think. I didn't think that Vlad would've let me die; he has gone through so much trouble trying to get me to join him—granted the incident with the million dollar bounty is the only time he _wasn't_ trying to get me to join me and the Pariah Dark incident too—that I doubt he'll let me die. So, frankly, I don't know why I'm surprised.

Vlad narrows his eyes but decides against waiting for me to come up with a reason why, which might be a good thing considering I _can't_ think of a reason. "What happened, Daniel?" he asks.

I lower my eyes and don't respond as I begin playing with a loose thread on the blanket.

"Daniel, do your parents know where you are?" Vlad asks.

I grit my teeth feeling tears well up in my eyes. "They won't care," I whisper.

"What?"

"I said they won't care!" I shout tears flooding out of my eyes. "I thought they would accept me, I even told you that they would accept me but they didn't." I don't realize I'm practically screaming while crying until I feel myself being drawn into someone's arms.

"Daniel, I don't understand," Vlad says softly. "Did you tell them about your ghost-half?"

I sob. "I didn't want to keep lying to them. I just wanted them to know the truth, to understand why my grades have been slipping and maybe, just maybe, they'll see me for the hero I'm trying to be. But they didn't. They called me evil, they…they accused me of impersonating their son and…and they…they shot at me. Mom…Mom actually stabbed me." I'm crying so hard that anything else I say after that is an incoherent jumble of words that I can't even begin to untangle.

"Shh, Daniel, shh, calm down, calm down," Vlad says and I feel him rub my back as he draws me closer until my face is in his chest. I'm crying too hard to bother pulling away.

Eventually, my cries die down into sobs that, in turn, slowly fade away. Vlad keeps his arms around me though and I can feel him still rubbing my back. I'm surprised by how comforting it is even though it's my archenemy that's doing the comforting. A week ago, I would never have thought I would be comforted by Vlad Masters but, like I said before, life's funny that way.

Finally, I pull away from Vlad a bit embarrassed and glad that no one saw that.

Vlad looks at me and, removing his arms from around me, he stretches out a hand and gently wipes away a few stray tears. He's sitting on the bed beside me. He doesn't say anything; actually, I don't know if he knows what to say. In fact, he seems as shocked by what I just told him as I was when it happened.

"What of your sister? And your friends?" he asks finally.

"I decided to tell Mom and Dad by myself; Jazz supported me. I don't think she knew Mom and Dad would react that way too," I whisper before I close my eyes. "They hate me, Vlad, my own parents hate me. They think I'm evil."

"I know you are not evil, Daniel," Vlad says. "You have too many morals that you refuse to go against to be evil. Your parents are wrong. If they can't accept you for who you are then it's their loss. But why did you come here, Daniel?"

I open my eyes. "My parents activated the ghost shield around the house after they shot at me," I say. "I didn't know where else to go so I just flew into the Ghost Zone but the wound was too serious that I couldn't make it to any one of my allies so I came here."

"You only came here because it was closest?" Vlad asks. I can't be sure if that's hurt in his voice or not.

I look away. "Pretty much," I admit. "A part of me was afraid you wouldn't care."

"Daniel, of course I care," Vlad says.

"You have a funny way of showing it," I mutter.

Vlad seems to flinch and his jaw clenches but he says nothing.

I, on the other hand, am wondering why I just said that. I mean if Vlad didn't care then why did he give me his blood for the blood transfusion? He saved my life, for Clockwork's sake!

Maybe it's because I'm still wary about him and I fear that he might use what happened to his advantage, that he might wish to use my parents' rejection to get me to join him but am I really being fair? He hasn't once mentioned anything like that and he seems genuinely concerned.

I look at Vlad who is still silent and I find myself whispering, "I'm sorry," before I have a chance to think about what I'm saying.

Vlad stiffens before looking at me clearly as surprised as I am by my apology.

I look down until I feel a hand under my chin tilting my head up until I was gazing into Vlad's eyes. He doesn't say anything for a long moment before he says, "I suppose I deserved that. But you must know that I do care about you, little badger. If you wish then you may stay here. Your parents won't think you've come here and you'll be safe from them."

_That what he's always wanted,_ a part of me says but I ignore it since I already know that. However, Vlad just told me that his place could be the haven that I sought when I first came into the Ghost Zone.

I continue to gaze at Vlad—I kinda don't have a choice since he's still holding my chin—before I say, "I'm still not gonna join you, Vlad," I say softly. "And I'm not renouncing my father."

Vlad's upper lip curled. "The father that shot at you, that considers you evil, that made it clear he hates you because you're half-ghost. Naturally, you wouldn't want to renounce such a wonderful father," he sneered.

I wince because he's right. "I…He's my father. I still love him," I whisper.

Vlad releases my chin shaking his head but he says nothing in response to that. Instead, he says, "Very well. You've made it clear several times that you won't renounce your father so I won't ask you too, though he certainly deserves it after what he did to you. You may stay here, Daniel, and you won't have to renounce your father or 'join' me."

I frown; the offer sounds too good to be true. "What's the catch?" I ask.

Vlad grits his teeth. "Must there always be a catch, little badger?" he asks.

I shrug. "This sounds too good to be true and when something sounds too good to be true, it usually isn't."

Vlad sighs. "All right, fine. All I ask in return for letting you stay here is to let me train you."

I blink but I'm not too surprised. I continue to gaze at him.

Vlad looks irritated. "All I want is to teach you all that I know, as is what I wanted from the very beginning. That's it," he says.

I'm silent for a long moment. "Don't try to force me to do something I don't want to do, Vlad," I say finally.

Vlad's lips press together but he nods. "I would not do such a thing, Daniel."

Yeah, right.

"I'm serious, Vlad. I'll leave if you try anything. I'm giving you another chance so don't screw it up," I say remembering another timeline in which an older, more broken Vlad received a second chance when Dan was created. I'm not above giving people second chances, with the exception of Dan since I have no doubt he would not use that second chance to become a better person like Vlad did.

A faint amused look crosses Vlad's gaze but he nods. "Very well, Daniel. I shall not force you to do anything you do not wish to do," he says. "For now, you need to rest."

I yawn before I can protest.

"Good night, little badger," Vlad says softly.

"Good night," I say quietly before I rest my head on my pillow.

I can only hope I made the right choice, that my decision to give Vlad a second chance won't come back to bite me. But I'll worry about that later. For now, I'll do as Vlad suggested and rest.

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: this oneshot is basically an altered beginning to **_**Sanctuary**_

**Darth: I liked it**

**Blaze: you always like it. Reviews are much appreciated as always.**


	2. Medallion

**Medallion**

_Main Characters: Danny, Clockwork_

_Genre: Suspense/Drama_

Danny lay on his bed gazing up at the ceiling and at the medallion he held in his hand. He traced a finger over the stylized CW thinking about the time when Clockwork had given it to him. The Master of Time never told Danny why he was being give one of his time medallions to keep; as far as Danny knew, Clockwork never gave his medallions to someone to keep. He always took them back after he unfroze time but, after the Dan incident, he didn't with Danny. He let Danny keep the medallion and made it so that only Danny and those he trusted with his life could see it.

Yet, he never explained why.

Danny sighed. He should have expected that. Clockwork never explained himself and if he did then it was through cryptic messages that Danny rarely, if ever, understood. When Danny had asked about it, Clockwork only smiled that mysterious smile of his and said, "You will understand in time."

That was usually the Master of Time's answer if Danny wasn't supposed to know the actual answer.

He then told Danny to keep the medallion with him at all times. He said that they were the only ones who could remove it even if others could see it.

Eventually, Danny let the medallion fall back to his chest and sat up. He had been lying in bed for the last hour since he woke up and he knew he would have to get up eventually to get ready for school. He was also a little surprised that no ghosts attacked during the night; it was odd for that to happen since ghosts never really cared about Danny's rest before.

After showering and changing, Danny made his way downstairs. His sister was already up and seated at the kitchen table and his mom, Maddie, was at the stove while his dad, Jack, was missing. Danny figured his dad was in the lab.

"Good morning, Danny," Maddie greeted her son.

"Morning," Danny said sitting down at the table.

Jazz looked at him. "You look rested," she said.

Danny smiled a little. "First time in a long time," he said accepting the plate of food his mom handed him before he began eating.

"I'll drive you to school if you want, Danny," Jazz said.

"Thanks," Danny said.

The medallion around his neck warmed a little. He frowned because that was another thing he learned about the medallion Clockwork gave him; whenever something bad was about to happen, the medallion would warm. The only thing was, Clockwork warned him that while the medallion would warn him about something bad that was about to happen, it would be up to Danny to figure out what that bad thing was.

So far, Danny didn't have much luck figuring it out _before_ it happened though.

After he finished eating, he said bye to his parents, his dad had joined them right before he finished eating, before he and Jazz left the kitchen.

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: this is a snippet of the first chapter of one of the two new DP stories I'm working out the ideas of (the other one is entitled **_**Pawn**_**) and I hope that you like it**

**Darth: I liked it**

**Blaze: you always like it. So reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	3. Pawn: Dream

**Pawn: Dream**

_Main Characters: Danny, Jazz_

_Genre: family_

_Flames reached into the sky like fingers to caress the blue canvas._

_ Screams of agony tear through the smoke-clouded city._

_ Buildings crumble and beams of red light rain down; more buildings were engulfed in flames._

_ A laugh, low and sinister, sounded above the panicked, agony-filled screams._

_ And then there was blood, blood speckled with green, and more screams._

_ One was filled with anguish, a heart-breaking wail that caused the heart to clench._

_ It began to rain; water poured from the sky in a steady downpour._

Danny woke up feeling confused and light-headed. He was lying on his bed and yet he couldn't begin to understand what he just saw. The last thing he remembered before his dream was stepping into the portal and accidentally turning it on.

The door to his room opened and Danny looked up as his sister walked into the room. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Y…Yeah, I think so," Danny said. "What're you doing here?"

"Mom asked me to check up on you," Jazz said walking into the room and sitting down on Danny's bed. "You okay?"

Danny hesitated. "I just had a weird dream," he said.

Jazz looked curious. "Oh? What was it about?"

Danny should've figured his sister would want to know. She enjoyed psychology and Danny had a feeling she would want to psychoanalyze his dream. He decided that maybe his sister could help him understand his dream though so he explained what he saw to his sister.

Jazz pressed her lips together looking thoughtful. "Well, it could mean many things. A lot of what happened in your dream could symbolize something else," she said. "Hmm, the rain could symbolize distress or sadness. The screams are pretty self-explanatory and the flames and the red light could symbolize anger. The laughter, well, that's pretty self-explanatory too. The green-and-red blood, I don't know what that could symbolize. And yet, all of those things together just don't make sense."

Danny frowned. Of all people, he would've thought his sister could have figured out what his dream meant, if it meant anything. He shrugged at that last thought. "It was just a dream. It's probably nothing," he said.

"The fact that you can remember it so well suggests that it's not nothing, Danny," Jazz said. "I'll have to look it up but I'm pretty sure few people remember as many details about their dreams as you do.'

"So what? You think it's important?"

"I just said it's not nothing so it could be. I don't know." Now Jazz sounded confused before she shook her head. "I need to think about it some more. You should probably get some rest." She stood up and ruffled Danny's hair.

"Hey!" Danny protested and his sister chuckled before walking out of the room.

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: well, this is a Jazz/Danny sibling-bonding drabble**

**Darth: and ties in with another of the stories you're working on now but haven't posted**

**Blaze: that it does. In a way, this takes place before **_**Pawn**_** hence why that's part of the title though it's easily a side story on it's own. At least, I think so.**

**Darth: I liked it though**

**Blaze: yup so, once again, reviews are appreciated as always**


	4. The Accident With a Twist

**The Accident With a Twist**

_Main Characters: Clockwork, Danny, Vlad_

_Genre: drama/adventure_

Flying invisibly through the air, Phantom felt frustration go through him as he scanned the area. His mentor had told him that he was to find a human boy and save his life, because the boy was apparently going to be important for the future. Phantom didn't understand but it was Clockwork; even Phantom's father didn't understand the Master of Time.

However, the only help Clockwork gave Phantom was to find the only half-ghost in existence. He seemed to think that if Phantom found the half-ghost then he would be able to find the boy he was supposed to save the life of. The only problem was Phantom had no idea where to start looking for the half-ghost, other than in his human lair in Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, Plasmius was not home so now Phantom was at a loss of where to continue looking. He was also running out of time; the longer he remained in the human realm, the more likely his father would figure out and then both he and Clockwork would be in trouble. Granted, the Master of Time would probably already know if Phantom's father would find out about his excursion into the human realm and would figure out something to placate the Ghost King but Phantom didn't want to be confined to the palace.

It was boring.

Phantom sighed; he didn't even know where he was.

He paused when he spotted a sign and flew toward it. It read _Amity Park_ and, beneath it, read _A Nice Place to Live_. Beyond the sign was a city; Phantom tilted his head to one side. He's never seen a city before. When he first came to the human realm, he had used Plasmius's manmade portal and so arrived directly in Plasmius's home.

He shrugged and decided to look through the city. He really didn't have that much of a choice since he didn't have any lead on where the halfa was.

Flying invisibly through the streets of Amity Park, Phantom examined the humans curiously. There were so many of them. Phantom has never seen so many humans before; in truth, he has never met a human before. His father was protective of him, which is one of the reasons why his father would not be happy if he found out Phantom was in the human realm.

He kept above the humans, flying around the skyscrapers and over a park still looking around for the halfa. He knew what the halfa looked like in human form only because Clockwork had showed him.

He stopped when he spotted a human that looked exactly like the image Clockwork had shown him. A tall man with white hair—turned that way after he became half-ghost—tied back in a ponytail dressed in a business suit was sitting on the bench in the park. There was no one around him but Phantom still slowed hesitating as he drew nearer to the halfa.

"I can sense you, you know," the man said; his voice was calm and smooth but with a hint of steel that suggested Phantom was probably a breath away from being blasted.

The Ghost Prince looked around unsure but, when he spotted no one watching him, he landed next to the bench before becoming visible. Plasmius glanced toward him raising an eyebrow.

"And what brings you here, Prince Phantom?" he asked. "Does your father know you're in the human realm?"

Phantom snorted. "If he did then I wouldn't be here," he said. "I swear he's so protective!" He sighed before adding, "I actually came here looking for you, Plasmius."

"Oh? And what would the Prince of All Ghosts want with me?"

Phantom bristled at the snide tone but wasn't exactly surprised; he knew Plasmius cared little, if at all, about the Ghost King, his rule and anyone related to him. "I'm looking for someone," he said. "A human."

"And why would you be seeking out a human, Phantom?" Plasmius asked. He was the only one out there, with the exception of Clockwork, who could get away with not referring to Phantom as 'prince' or calling him 'your highness' all the time.

"Clockwork told me that I needed to find and save a human boy because, for some reason, that boy's going to play an important part in the future," Phantom said.

"Do you know what he meant by that?"

"It's Clockwork, Plasmius. I never know what he means."

"Point. However, I am unsure how I am supposed to help you. I don't know who this boy is unless I have more details about who he could be."

"Clockwork only said that if I found you then I could find the boy," Phantom said.

Plasmius stood up curling his lips into a sneer. "I remain in the human realm to remain beneath your father's radar. The last thing I wish is to get on your father's bad side. What I should do is escort you back to the Ghost Zone."

"I'm not going back until I finish Clockwork's mission. He wouldn't have asked me to do this if it wasn't really important," Phantom said shortly. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"As I have already told you, dear boy, how can I help you when I don't know who this human boy is?"

Phantom growled folding his arms across his chest. "Well, Clockwork seems to think that I'll find him if I find you. Maybe it has something to do with why you're in Amity Park rather than in Wisconsin," he said.

"Perhaps so. I am simply visiting some friends, Phantom. It would be in your best interests to not go near them though. I would rather not explain to your father how you were destroyed because you went into the lair of ghost hunters," Plasmius sneered.

"And why are you going into the lair of ghost hunters?"

"I am only half-ghost, Phantom. I can pass easily for human."

Phantom ran a hand through his snowy white hair frustration crawling through him. "Do these friends of yours have a son?"

"I believe they do, why?"

Phantom was silent for a long moment as he thought about that and connected it with what Clockwork told him. "I'm not sure if I'm right, Plasmius, but I think that boy's the one that I need to save."

"And how do you know that?"

"I don't. That's the problem," Phantom said. "But what if it is him?"

"You wish to trek into the lair of ghost hunters because you _think_ the boy is the one Clockwork asked you to save? Dear boy, that is the stupidest idea you've ever come up with and I was there when you thought it would be funny to get Desiree to turn Nightmare pink."

Phantom's cheeks went pale green in a blush at the memory of that. "I need to know," he said finally.

Plasmius growled in frustration; even when he wasn't in ghost form, he still was intimidating. "Fine but if they so much as look at you wrong, get out of there," he said finally.

Phantom nodded in agreement.

\/\/\/\/\/

"Why would anyone want to announce where they live like that?" Phantom said wonderingly looking at the large neon green sign hanging in front of the townhome in front of him.

"It's Jack. I'm not surprised," Plasmius said walking over to the stairs as Phantom floated invisibly behind him. "You better hope they don't have any safeguards in place since they appear to not be home." Without waiting for Phantom to reply, he lifted a hand and knocked on the door.

There was a moment of silence before the door opened to reveal a black-haired boy around Phantom's age with ice-blue eyes. Gazing at the boy, Phantom knew in an instant that this was the boy that Clockwork wanted him to save.

"Hello, you must be Daniel," Plasmius said in greeting.

"It's Danny. Who're you?" the boy, Danny, asked.

"I am Vlad Masters. I told your parents that I would be coming by to see their newest invention but I suppose I missed them."

"Yeah, they left 'cause they weren't able to get their newest invention working," Danny admitted. "Come on in, Mr. Masters."

"Danny! Are you going to come down or not?!" A shout sounded.

"I'll be there in a minute. Someone was at the door," Danny shouted back as he stepped aside and Plasmius, with Phantom floating behind him, made his way into the living room.

"We're in the lab," Danny said.

"Isn't that a bit dangerous, dear boy?" Plasmius asked.

Danny shrugged. "Mom just said that as long as we stay away from the portal to avoid getting shocked, we'll be fine. Mom and dad should be home soon though if you want to wait for them."

"Very well."

Danny turned and dashed out of the living room.

Phantom watched him go. "Portal?" He echoed.

"I believe that was what Jack was talking about when I last spoke to him," Plasmius said walking over to the couch and sitting down. "So, did you figure out if that boy is the one you're supposed to save?"

"I'm almost sure of it," Phantom said. "There's just something about him…I really don't know how to explain it but I feel connected to him and I don't know why."

"Bonds like that usually form between mates."

"I am not that way!"

"I never said you were. However, those bonds also form between family members and, though this is rarer, between a ghost and a human—this is more of a sibling bond—though those don't last long."

"Why not?"

Plasmius, who was dialing something on his phone, looked up. "Bonds like that usually lead to the death of the human."

Phantom shivered though he didn't get cold. "I don't get it. If this bond usually leads to the death of the human then how am I going to save him?"

"How should I know, dear boy? You should have asked Clockwork."

"Maybe I will next time I see him."

Phantom glanced toward the lab. "Something's not right," he said softly before he floated over to the door at the back of the kitchen and floated downward into the lab. He spotted Danny standing there dressed in a white and black jumpsuit talking with a black-haired girl dressed entirely in black and a dark-skinned boy with unique turquoise colored eyes.

"…so sure about this, Sam? I mean, mom did say to stay away from it," Danny was saying eyeing the yawning tunnel of technology he was standing beside.

"Ah come on, Danny. It doesn't work anyway and just think about it. A portal leading to another dimension? Surely you're curious," the girl, Sam, said.

"Well, yeah, I mean who knows what could be on the other side of this thing?" Danny said eyeing the tunnel with curiosity in his eyes.

Phantom frowned. What was he supposed to do? If the portal really was not functional then Danny wouldn't be in danger if he decided to explore it. Funny thing is if Phantom had been in Danny's position, he would have done it.

"I'm going to do it," Danny said finishing zipping up the jumpsuit.

"Hold on. You don't want to go around with that on your chest," Sam said ripping of an image of a black-haired man's face.

"Okay, well, here goes," Danny said before he made his way into the portal. Phantom immediately floated after him still unsure of what to do until he spotted the switch. It was situated on the inside of the wall, an _on _switch and Danny's hand was about to hit it.

Phantom shot toward Danny hoping to push him out of the way in time but he was too slow. Almost as soon as he cannoned into Danny, the switch was flipped on.

\/\/\/\/\/

Vlad Masters was talking with Maddie, he was thankful it was Maddie that had picked up and not Jack, when he heard the bloodcurdling scream.

"What was that?!" Maddie cried.

"I'm going to check it out," Vlad said before he hung up and dashed into the lab. He skidded to a halt staring at the swirling green vortex of a ghost portal. Standing around it, crying out "Danny!" were Daniel's two friends.

"What happened?" he demanded icily all the while also looking around for his prince but he couldn't sense anyone.

_Sugar cookies. King Pariah is going to kill me,_ Vlad thought.

"I…we…it wasn't supposed to be functional," the Goth girl cried amethyst eyes wide with fear and sadness.

"Where's Daniel?" Vlad asked.

With a shaky hand, the boy with the red beret on his head pointed to the portal and Vlad felt a jolt. The son of his beloved Maddie was dead?

Vlad shakily moved forward only to pause when a groan of pain sounded.

"Danny!" The Goth girl cried as a very familiar yet slightly different figure crawled out of the portal. The shock of white hair, the glowing emerald green eyes; it was Phantom.

Vlad moved past the Goth girl and knelt beside the boy and helping him get away from the portal. He turned the boy over in time to see those glowing green eyes fix on him and a small smile cross his face.

"Guess Clockwork was right," Phantom's familiar voice said through the boy's lips before he closed his eyes. He passed out and twin rings of brilliant white light appeared around the boy's waist separating and leaving Daniel Fenton unconscious in Phantom's place.

Vlad was in shock for Phantom had done what no other ghost would dare to do. He _merged _with a human.

"Danny?" The Goth girl whispered breaking Vlad out of his stupor.

"Come, we need to get him to his room," Vlad said. "He needs to rest and I don't think it would be a good idea if his parents knew what happened here. They would think that the portal killed Danny, which is obviously not true."

"But how?" the boy asked confused.

"I don't know." It was a lie but the last thing Vlad was going to do was tell two full humans that their friend was now permanently united with the Prince of All Ghosts.

He gently picked Daniel up before making his way out of the lab with the Goth girl and the boy just behind him.

\/\/\/\/\/

Danny Fenton woke up lying in a meadow.

He was confused. He didn't know how he got there; the last thing he remembered was walking down the portal and then someone pushing him and then a lot of pain and then nothing. To find himself in a meadow who knew where took him by surprise.

"You're awake."

Danny's head snapped around so fast he was surprised he didn't give himself whiplash. Sitting cross-legged in front of him, but also a few inches off the ground, was a boy around his age; he was dressed entirely in black with a silver-lined black cloak around his neck and a small scabbard with the hilt of a weapon poking out of it strapped to his side. His eyes glowed neon green and his hair was the color of freshly fallen snow; there was also a faint white glow surrounding him.

"Who…what are you? Where are we?" Danny asked looking around fearfully.

"My name is Phantom," the boy said. "I'm a ghost and this…well, we're in your, or rather our, subconscious."

"A ghost?! But ghosts don't exist," Danny protested.

Phantom chuckled. "Well, I guess being accused of not existing is better than you running away screaming bloody murder at the sight of me," he said. He grew serious before adding, "But yeah, I'm a ghost."

Danny blinked; his parents always told him that ghosts were evil—well, when he paid attention to them—and yet this ghost didn't seem overly threatening. His fear faded and he was now curious.

"What did you mean by we're in our subconscious? I don't understand," Danny said puzzlement clear in his voice.

"The _on _switch on that portal you stepped into was inside it. I was in your parents' lab and tried to get to you before you flipped that switch on but I was too late. In order to save your life, because the kind of electricity that thing was generating would've killed you, I merged us."

"Merged?"

"Yes, we are essentially one; two entities in one body so to speak. We now share thoughts and emotions."

"Whoa, talk about a split personality," Danny said.

Phantom chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you can call it that but our personalities are separate from each other. My personality, emotions and thoughts will be overwhelmed and hidden by yours when we're in human form and vice versa for when we're in ghost form."

Danny was silent for a long moment clearly still uncertain but he knew there was no point in worrying about it. It wasn't as if this could change at all. "I guess I don't really have a choice. You saved my life though so thanks for that," he said.

Phantom smiled. "You're welcome," he said. He grimaced before adding, "My biggest problem is going to be explaining this to my father."

He pressed his lips together and his glowing green eyes lit up with mischief. "I'll just blame Clockwork. It really is his fault anyway," he said.

"Who's Clockwork?"

"Our thoughts haven't finished merging. You'll find out when that happens. Now, you should probably wake up. Your friends are worried about you." Phantom faded away and everything around him went dark as Danny was slowly pulled from his sleep.

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: the ending is open-ended for a reason. I'm actually thinking of continuing this but, with how many stories I have out there right now, I don't think it's a good idea to post another one. And yeah, the title's pretty lame but I couldn't think of anything else.**

**Darth: you've got that right**

**Blaze: well, I hope you liked it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	5. The New Recruit

**The New Recruit**

_Main Characters: _Danny, Vlad, Valerie, Sam

_Genre: _mystery/drama

Danny yawned as he gazed through the crystalline windows of his cubicle at the city beyond before he turned his gaze to the paperwork he had been sifting through barely paying attention to it. This was the part of the job that he hated the most; the paperwork. He had been warned sometime after he first joined the Department of Spiritual Investigation and Defense that he wouldn't escape paperwork just because he was primarily a field agent but he still hated it.

Sighing, he lifted up his mug of coffee and was about to take a sip when he shivered and a cool blue mist escaped his lips. He put the mug down before narrowing his eyes. _It better not be the Box Ghost,_ he thought reaching into his drawer for the thermos; the department made it mandatory for everyone who worked for them to carry one of the thermoses with them at all times.

"_I am the Box Ghost!_" A shout sounded and Danny wanted so much to bang his head against his desk as he stood up. He didn't even have to shift into his ghost form to catch the Box Ghost; even if he couldn't remember anything from his past, the Box Ghost had made enough appearances and called Danny by name often enough that he figured he met the ghost before he came to work for the department. Plus, he was one of the weaker ghosts; his level was 2.45 and seemed to be steadily dropping.

"I've got him!" Tucker Foley, the resident techno-geek of Danny's team, shouted aiming the thermos at the Box Ghost before a beam of blue-white light shot from it. It enveloped the startled Box Ghost and he was able to get out one last "_beware!_" before he disappeared into the thermos.

Danny put his thermos back on his desk and ran a hand through his black hair. "I think that puts you in the lead for how many times you've caught the Box Ghost the last week," he said with a smile.

Tucker chuckled capping the thermos before putting it on his desk. "Yeah but where else am I gonna get to use this? When we're on the field, I'm always in the van making sure all our tech works," he said.

"You do know that Technus likes targeting you all the time, right?" Sam Manson, Danny's second in command, reminded him.

"Yeah, when we run into him, that's the _only_ time I actually get to use the ghost tech the department insists we all carry," Tucker grumbled. "I mean, come on, even Jazz gets to be on the field more than I do."

"Only when I have to do negotiations," Jazz Fenton, the "negotiator" of Danny's teams as the other members affectionately called her, said from her cubicle. "When I don't, I'm usually stuck in the van with you."

"At least I get some company most of the time," Tucker said.

Danny chuckled. He liked his team; they were very effective in dealing with rogue ghosts or negotiating with ghosts who leave the Ghost Zone or who are unsure whether to follow the new laws set up for them or not. Of course, every member had their quirks but Danny loved them anyway.

"Anyone up for lunch?" Sam asked. "Since it's my turn to decide, I know this new vegan place that opened up down the road."

"Please tell me they sell meat there," Tucker pleaded.

"Nope, it's mostly vegan food."

Tucker groaned.

Danny chuckled. "I could use some lunch," he said.

"Don't you have some paperwork to finish, Danny?" Jazz asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'll finish it when I get back."

"I think Tucker's laziness is rubbing off on you."

"I am not lazy," Tucker objected.

"Sure you aren't," the orange haired young woman said as she walked out of her cubicle. "If Sam's buying, who's driving?"

Danny was about to respond when the door to the large room opened and Kendall, the Head of the Department's aide, walked into the room. "Danny, Mr. Masters wants to talk to you," he said.

Danny wondered what the Department Head wanted with him. "I'll meet you guys at the restaurant," he said to his team.

"Do you know where it is?" Sam asked.

"I've driven past it before so yeah I do."

"All right, we'll see you there."

\/\/\/\/\/

Danny rode the clear elevator to the top floor of the building, which was only three floors above him, in silence thinking about the meeting. He hadn't had a meeting with the Department Head since his last evaluation six months ago, at least not one while he was working anyway.

He and the Department Head, Vlad Masters, had a somewhat complicated relationship. In one way, Danny saw Vlad as a surrogate father since he couldn't remember his own while, on the other hand, Danny did not agree with some of the decisions Vlad has made. The latter often got him into arguments with Vlad and the only reason why he wasn't fired was because Vlad cared for him too much and because Danny was the best field agent in the Department despite his age.

Danny's secret helped him with that; he was half-ghost so that gave him some advantages that others didn't have. Of course, he didn't use his powers while he was working all the time and whenever he did, he made sure no one saw him. The last thing he wanted was for that secret to come out because, though there was peace between humans and ghosts, half-ghosts were still a concept that many were not ready to accept.

Vlad understood that only because he was half-ghost too.

The elevator came to a stop and Danny stepped out of it before heading down the short hallway to Vlad's office. He knocked on the door before stepping into the room when he heard a "come in" from inside.

The office had bookshelves lining all the walls except for the floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the door and the floor was covered in gray plush carpet. In the center of the office was a mahogany desk arranged neatly. Behind it sat the Head of the Department of Spiritual Investigation and Defense—Vlad Masters—who was a tall, slender man with premature silver hair and midnight blue eyes dressed in a business suit.

He stood up as Danny entered. "Hello Daniel," he greeted him. "I trust you are well."

"Just tired," Danny said. "So what's this about, Vlad?"

"Please, take a seat."

Danny sat down in the plush armchair in front of the desk and Vlad sat down as well.

"I was looking through a lot of recruitment applications that were recommended to me recently," Vlad began. "One of them caught my eye. I've already interviewed her and I think she would do well as part of your team."

Danny's eyebrow shot up. "I already have a pretty full team, Vlad," he said. He hesitated then added, "And I don't think they're ready for someone to fill Star's position, especially not Tucker."

"I know that you and your team are still reeling from Star's death, Daniel," Vlad said with an uncharacteristic gentleness in his voice and with a sympathetic look in his eyes; only with Danny did Vlad ever show that he wasn't the emotionless man who never got over losing his first and only love that everyone saw him as. Granted, they didn't know about Vlad losing the only woman he loved; that was a secret only Danny knew.

"All I'm asking is that you give her a chance," Vlad said. "She can stay here on a temporary basis if you wish, perhaps six months, and if you haven't adjusted to having her on your team then we can transfer her to another. She has much to offer, Daniel, and I really believe she can flourish with your team."

Danny hesitated. "I'll meet with her," he said finally.

Vlad, knowing that was probably the best he was going to get, nodded. "I had a feeling you would at least meet with her so I invited her here to meet with you. She is due to arrive any minute now. Her name's Valerie Gray by the way. Here's her application and her file along with recommendations from other departments and bureaus."

Danny took the file and began flipping through it noticing that Miss. Gray had studied the paranormal as well as criminology in college and worked for both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency but only for six months each. He also read that she had asked to be transferred to the Department of Spiritual Investigation and Defense.

There was a knock on the door and, when Vlad called for the person to come in, it opened and Danny looked up from the file as a dark-skinned woman with wavy black hair stepped into the room; she was dressed in dark gray slacks with a dark gray jacket over a white shirt. Her green eyes were filled with a mix of determination and wariness.

"Mr. Masters," she greeted Vlad.

"Ms. Gray, hello, you are right on-time. Please, take a seat."

The woman took a seat as Danny rested the opened file on his lap.

"Ms. Gray, I'd like you to introduce you to Danny, the leader of the team I spoke to you about," Vlad said.

"Hello Danny," Ms. Gray said holding out a hand though her brow furrowed, probably wondering why Vlad hadn't introduced Danny by his last name as he did everyone else. The only reason he didn't was because Danny didn't know his last name; in fact, he didn't even know what his real name was. Vlad, who had been the one to find him soon after he woke up in some random park somewhere in New York, had given him that name, well he gave him the name _Daniel_ but Danny preferred the nickname that his team called im by.

"Hello, Ms, Gray," Danny greeted her as he took her hand and shook it. "Vlad says he spoke to you about my time. What exactly has he said?"

"He said that your team is the best one when it comes to both negotiation and effectively dealing with ghosts across the country," Ms. Gray replied. "When I asked to transfer here, I was just hoping to get on a team but I never expected Mr. Masters to recommend your team."

"Your resume and the recommendations that Daniel hasn't gotten to yet clearly suggest that you belong on the best team. I really believe you can flourish on Daniel's team," Vlad said.

"I thank you for having such confidence in me, Mr. Masters," Ms. Gray said.

"While your resume clearly says that you would do well on Daniel's team, it is for him to decide," Vlad said.

Danny had been looking through the file as Vlad said that but didn't say anything for a long moment. Finally, he sighed and closed the file. "It's going to be hard since it's only been three months since we lost one of our members but I'm willing to give you a chance for at least the trial period of six months. But I want to talk it over with my team before I make an actual decision."

"I understand," Ms. Gray said.

"I'm meeting my team at the _Azure Garden_ if you wish to come with," Danny said.

"I'd like to meet your team, Danny," Ms. Gray said.

Danny nodded before standing up and looking at Vlad. "Want me to bring you anything?"

"No thank you, Daniel," Vlad said as Ms. Gray stood up. "Enjoy your lunch."

Danny nodded before he and Ms. Gray left the office.

\/\/\/\/\/

The _Azure Garden_ was a small restaurant on the corner. It was done in gentle earth tones with landscape paintings adoring the walls and large windows partially open to allow in the warm, spring breeze. Danny found Sam, Tucker and Jazz seated at a circular booth at the other end of the café and headed toward it with Valerie—she insisted he call him that if she was going to be on a first name basis with him—just behind him.

"Hey Danny, who's this?" Jazz asked.

"This is Valerie…" Danny broke off when he noticed the glare Sam was giving Valerie. "Sam? Why are you glaring at her?"

Sam's lips thinned. "No reason," she said shortly.

Danny raised an eyebrow as he slide into the booth beside and Valerie, after a moment of hesitation, sat down next to him. "Sam…"

"Why is _she_ here anyway?" Sam asked before Danny could finish his question.

"She's a new recruit and Vlad thinks she'll do well on our team," Danny admitted.

"We haven't had a fifth person on our team since Star…" Jazz broke off before looking at Tucker who lowered his head, unshed tears in his eyes.

"I know," Danny said softly. He missed Star too. She was a great field agent and she took her duties very seriously; she also loved Tucker so much that she took the ectoblast that was meant for him. Unfortunately, the ectoblast had been powerful enough to kill her.

"It's only on a trial basis," he added. "But Valerie does have an impressive resume."

"You should've talked with us first before you decided, Danny," Sam said shortly throwing another glare at Valerie.

"I haven't exactly decided," Danny said. "I told Vlad that I wanted to talk this over with you before I decide and Valerie decided to come with to meet you."

"Accepting her when we know little about her? Sounds like when Sam first joined the team," Tucker commented with a small smile wiping the unshed tears from his eyes. "We gave Sam a chance so I think we should give Valerie one too."

"I agree," Jazz said.

Sam was still glaring at Valerie who seemed not to understand why Sam resented her so much. "Fine," she growled.

"Sam, will you at least try to get along with her?" Danny asked.

"I agreed to give her a chance, Danny. You're lucky you got that."

"Why do you hate her so much?"

"I don't hate her."

"It sure seems like you do."

Sam looked away but said nothing. There was obviously something in Sam's past that dealt with Valerie Gray but it was equally as obvious that Sam did not want to talk about it. Danny respected her wishes. "All right, I'll let Vlad know later. Right now, I'm hungry."

As if on cue, the waitress came forward to take their orders. About ten minute later, she came out with their food and the rest of lunch passed by in silence.

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: that was basically the first chapter of yet**_** another **_**story idea I've thought of though it's an unedited version (spell check can only do so much).**

**Darth: are you going to post it?**

**Blaze: I'm going to type it but I'm not going to post it until I see what people think of this oneshot as well as if they want to read what happen next. Plus, I want to finish**_** Fate's Wings**_** (which I'm almost done with. I just need to finish the epilogue) and decide what to do with **_**Nightfall**_**, since I'm having serious writer's block for that story**

**Darth: ah okay**

**Blaze: so I hope that you enjoyed this oneshot. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	6. Fire and Water

**Fire and Water**

_Main Character: Danny_

_Genre: angst/drama_

Running through the forest, he could feel the fiery claws reach out toward him. Darkness was illuminated; trees were engulfed in flames, smoke filled the air. He coughed violently but forced himself to keep running though his legs were starting to burn. He had to keep going; he had to escape the flames and warn them.

Branches tore at his already charred, torn and bloody clothing but he ignored them as he ducked under a low hanging branch not slowing down. The wall of flames was steadily getting closer destroying everything that got in its way; he could hear the agonizing screams of dying animals that were unlucky enough to get caught in the blaze.

Tears appeared in his eyes but he didn't know whether it was because of the sounds of dying animals or the smoke that stung his eyes. He wiped his eyes and pushed himself to keep running, he was breathless and hoarse from inhaling too much smoke. His eyes continued to stream. The smoke grew thicker, coiling around him as the flames continued its steady march.

Vision blurred, he nearly hit his forehead against another branch but managed to phase through it at the last possible moment. That was all he could do at the moment; he was so tired, so weak from earlier and from the amount of smoke he had inhaled that he couldn't even try calling forth his ghost half, let alone try to fly. He couldn't risk falling out of the sky and into the inferno.

Warning them was the motivation that kept him from giving up. He had to protect them, he promised that he would keep them safe and he was not going to break his promise. Despite his promise, he knew that he was weakening; he has been running on pure adrenaline for a while and he didn't know how much longer he could keep going.

He pushed aside a tree branch trying to block out the screams of dying animals lest they distract him. He couldn't afford any distractions; if he tripped then he would lose and losing was not something he wanted to do, not when the lives of everyone were on the line.

He had to warn them.

Over the roar of the flames, he suddenly heard the thundering sound of water. He immediately pinpointed its location and was relieved to see that it was directly in front of him. If he kept going, if he could make it to water then it would buy him enough time to rest and recover at least a little of his strength.

With renewed vigor, he continued his mad dash through the burning forest hoping that his adrenaline would not give out on him, at least not until he got to the water he could still hear in the distance.

His lungs felt like they were on fire, his legs burned. He continued to cough violently but he kept moving. He had to keep moving.

More than just his life was on the line.

Struggling to breathe evenly, and attempting to control his coughing fits, he kept moving, leaping over upturned roots. He ran past trees, across clearings, over small dried creeks, following the roar of water that he had heard earlier. He knew that water was his only chance; he had to get there before the flames caught up with him.

It felt like time had slowed and ages had gone by but the thundering water was now so loud that it drowned out the roar of the flames at his back. He nearly tripped on an upturned root when he reached it; a beautiful waterfall with crystalline water glistening in the starlight as it cascaded down the side of the cliff into a wide, gently churning river.

With the crackling flames too close for comfort, he dived into the river. The cool water immediately soothed his burns. Ignoring the exhaustion clawing at him, he swam toward the riverbank.

Even though he hadn't seen the opposite bank when he first reached the river, he kept going, propelling his arms through the water, kicking his aching legs. The current dragged him a few feet away from where he had first entered the river but it wasn't strong enough to pull him under.

Finally, he reached the opposite bank. Grabbing a few reeds poking out of the water at the edge of the river, he dragged himself onto the bank before turning onto his back gasping and coughing as he struggled to get his breath back. He lifted his head enough to see that the flames had been stopped by the river.

He couldn't be sure if there were flames on the side of the river on which he was lying but he was too tired to care. He forced himself to his feet though since he knew he had to keep moving; the longer he rested, the less time he would have to warn them.

Staggering away, he glanced toward the burning forest on the other side of the river before he closed his eyes.

"This was supposed to be a simple competition. What happened and why?" he whispered, his voice lost in the roar of the flames and the waterfall. He opened his eyes. Gazing up at the star-speckled sky above his head, he went over everything that happened hoping he could find something—_anything—_that could help him understand.

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: this is the very first part of the first chapter of the newly rewritten version of **_**Against All Odds**_**, which I'm working on and am planning on posting again no matter what though I'll probably end up finishing most of it before I post it cause I'm planning on posting it when I get further along in **_**Nightfall**_** maybe**

**Darth: that's cool**

**Blaze: yup. As always, reviews are appreciated.**


End file.
